Scleral cross-linking using riboflavin and ultraviolet-A radiation for prevention of axial myopia in a rabbit model

Assaf Dotan*, Israel Kremer, Orly Gal-Or, Tami Livnat, Arie Zigler, Dan Bourla, Dov Weinberger

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Myopic individuals, especially those with severe myopia, are at higher-than-normal risk of cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment and chorioretinal abnormalities. In addition, pathological myopia is a common irreversible cause of visual impairment and blindness. Our study demonstrates the effect of scleral crosslinking using riboflavin and ultraviolet-A radiation on the development of axial myopia in a rabbit model. The axial length of the eyeball was measured by A-scan ultrasound in New Zealand white rabbits aged 13 days (male and female). The eye then underwent 360° conjunctival peritomy with scleral crosslinking, followed by tarsorrhaphy. Axial elongation was induced in 13 day-old New Zealand rabbits by suturing their right eye eyelids (tarsorrhaphy). The eyes were divided into quadrants, and every quadrant had two scleral irradiation zones, each with an area of 0.2 cm2 and a radius of 4 mm. Crosslinking was performed by dropping 0.1% dextran-free riboflavin-5- phosphate onto the irradiation zones 20 sec before ultraviolet-A irradiation and every 20 sec during the 200 sec irradiation time. UVA radiation (370 nm) was applied perpendicular to the sclera at 57 mW/cm² (total UVA light dose, 57 J/cm2). Tarsorrhaphies were removed on day 55, followed by repeated axial length measurements. This study demonstrates that scleral crosslinking with riboflavin and ultraviolet-A radiation effectively prevents occlusion-induced axial elongation in a rabbit model.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere53201
JournalJournal of Visualized Experiments
Volume2016
Issue number110
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Apr 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Journal of Visualized Experiments.

Keywords

  • Cross linking
  • Issue 110
  • Medicine
  • Myopia
  • Rabbit
  • Riboflavin
  • Sclera
  • Ultraviolet-A

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